Upper Boat Inn in Rhondda Cynon Taf

Went on Monday, 6th May. Walked in the restaurant with the aim of trying to get a table for 8 people . 'Went to hosts ' desk and asked if they could accommodate us. There were at least 6 tables free and several tables were leaving. Was told by this arrogant rude worker ... ' no ' , I'm not taking any walk ins . And then she buggered off. Wat a disgrace to be treated. Well, they lost custom of a family of 8, , and any future custom from us, not recommended, if you want to be belittled,

Myself, my husband, and grandson visited this venue a couple of months ago and we had mixed opinions on the food served. Whilst the carvery seemed to be extremely popular, with probably 95% of diners choosing this option, we were of the opinion that it didn't look very appetising and looked extremely dried up. Consequently, we chose different options from the menu. My husband chose fish and chips which he didn't enjoy, our grandson loved his pizza children's meal, and my meat feast calzone was absolutely delicious. We therefore decided to return this week to order the meat feast calzone again for myself and my husband, plus another pizza children's meal for our grandson. Upon our arrival, we ordered our drinks and then attempted to order our meals but were then informed that they were not serving any pizzas that day or burgers which we found unbelievable and unacceptable!!!!! This only left the fish and chips, which my husband disliked on our previous visit, or the carvery, which again look distinctly dry and unappetising. We would have normally left at this point, but this would have left our grandson extremely disappointed as he had been looking forward to attending again following our last visit. Our grandson therefore had to settle for chicken dippers and chips, and as there were no main course alternatives for myself and my husband, we ordered several starters for ourselves and ate them as tappas. I have never visited any establishment where 2 whole sections of the menu were unavailable. Just because the majority of people visiting appear to favour the carvery (which I find extremely hard to believe based on what was being served) this shouldn't mean that the rest of the main courses are unavailable. Moreover, we were not provided with any explanation from staff members as to why this was! Restassured, we will not be returning, even though the meast feast calzone I ordered on my previous visit was the best I have ever had.

Visited this morning and my husband and daughter had breakfast buffet. It was lovely, fresh and great value. I had porridge that was good too. I’m giving it a great review because the staff were amazing, from the cheerful lady behind d the bar to the lovely waitressing staff. Nothing was too much trouble and all very welcoming. Thanks

Booking was easy online. Arrived and greeted very nicely shown to our table and told absolutely nothing on how it all worked. Went back to the desk as no waitress arrived after 30 minutes to be told to scan the barcode on the table for drinks and food or go to the bar. Thanks for that ! Ordered off the QR drinks came and we waited another 15 mins and no sign of anyone so went to ask where our ticket was for food and it was still at the bar they forgot to bring it over. The food itself was very nice, we all had beef and turkey and all the trimmings. Was lovely and hot. We all enjoyed the food. The place itself is very run down needs a good bit of TLC and staff who are engaged with their customers and inform them on how their system works.

Food was amazing as it always is and staff are so friendly and helpful

Similar to previous review visited pub for an meet up and relaxing drink. Parked in disabled spot with disabled badge. Not any visible clear signage, I could see. All seemed normal, will not go there again. Ruined a pleasant evening £100 fine. Would advise owners to get rid of current arrangement

We came here for my sons 16th birthday, 13 of us all together. Excellent service and staff were so polite and even brought the cake out for my son all lit up. Definitely would recommend for an occasion or just for a drink. We had a lovely time. Thank you

Good lunch, relaxing atmosphere, food was fresh and looked great.

Food was great, value for money was fantastic, friendly staff and great service. Liked the fact you could order from table as well on the website. Don't know if there is an App but if there is let me know please.

Food has gone downhill since being taken over by Stonehouse

Just had an absolute stunning carvery at the upper boat, staff amazing and so helpful, food stunning as always ,well done all

What can I say?!! Love coming here usually. This visit has put me off ever coming here again. Meals turned up with skinny fries when usually there’s proper chips. The explanation was that they ran out and went to Makro to get some. Somehow came back with fries though. The lack of decent chips wasn’t reflected in the price either. And served cold. And just to make the food go down better, the animal shouts and screams coming from the kitchen. Just what you want on a family meal out.

5 stars! As it was my baby’s birthday, we visited for pizza and ice cream early evening around 5pm. Upon arrival, Symone was extremely kind and welcoming and even sat with the baby while we went to the bar to place our food order. Usually, pizza is not a favourite of mine however from a tasty fried chicken starter to a beautifully made buffalo blue cheese pizza to then end with an ‘unlimited’ lemon sauce ice cream sundae was exceptional to say the least. This is certainly a new favourite for our family. Thank you for having us! We absolutely recommend. Want to mention, the other staff members (so sorry, did not get their names) were fabulous too and very patient/ accommodating. Look forward to seeing you again soon. X

Good around pub .food well tidy

Food was OK. Selection wasn't full or fresh but that was slightly expected as we arrived at 5. Ben was brilliant on the bar, not just with us but to everyone who came in really friendly and helpful. Symone was also good and friendly.

We are regulars here and it's a lovely family meal out. Only had carvery bit are planning pizza night soon. On Christmas eve they had elf there and Easter bunny on Sunday the kids love it and can't believe the price for a Sunday meal out. Service is great and always there to help symone has been there on serveral of our visits and even if not booked has gone out of her way to accommodate us amd inform us . Get the app if your going great offers on there.

Fantastic staff, always a warm welcome.

Allergy care from one particular member of staff was good. Other than that food very overpriced, mains and kids meal took far too long to come out. Carvery not very fresh, very limited veg selection. Members of our party ordered the full works carvery which advertises 5 pigs in blankets but they were given 2/3.

We went to the upper boat on Easter Sunday, we received outstanding service from the second we walked in the door from the front of house and our lovely waitress symone. Not only was the food absolutely delicious and we were served straight away they offered face painting (the facepainter was lovely) for the little ones we also met the Easter bunny! We were not expecting any of this so was a brilliant surprise for the girls! 10/10 to everyone

We haven't been here for a while but popped in for a Carvery for Easter Sunday today. It was fabulous. The staff were really great, happy and welcoming. There was a lovely relaxed atmosphere and the carvery was superb in every way, fresh and super tasty. I'd give extra stars if I could and will definitely call more regularly. There was nothing that could have been improved upon today.

Amazing service from Symone today! Carvery was delicious. Will be coming back again

Very good service and good food

Fab time, food was delicious and service was fantastic from Symone! Will defo be back

Very nice place Very friendly and helpful, symone very pleasant and helpful, ful of smiles

Excellent service as always, staff are happy to help if needed and always smiles around, fish was exceptionally good with the batter being the best I’ve had to date which generally you wouldn’t expect from such establishment would recommend anyone to give the battered fish a try

The manager was there on her own, she still managed to keep everything going. She made sure fresh breakfast items were there, or kept customers informed if they were slightly longer and she stayed friendly. I informed herctherecwas no bread left for toast and apologised as she was busy and she said not to aologise, thats exactly what she is there for and not to worry. She was very helpful to my mother who has difficulty with steps, and was very good at ensuring the place was kept as clean as possible. The food was generally OK, the sausages were overcooked but otherwise it was all good.

We had a lovely family meal. A great time was had by all.

Food fresh and plentiful Staff pleasant Nice restaurant

Excellent staff, always friendly. The carvery was outstanding today. I use the upper boat for work related visits and the staff are amazing with a gentleman I take there who has learning disabilities especially Diane, who always makes a big fuss of him. Love the staff, the place, and especially the food. My comfort place, as I always feel so welcome.

This place needs a good clean. Upholstery covered in stains, I was afraid to sit down. Meal also left a lot to be desired. ****************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************

Went on mother's day although very busy service was good food quite tasty and reasonably priced

I've happily been to the Upper Boat dozens of times over the years but unfortunately received a fine from their parking company on our last visit whilst visiting the restaurant. No warning , no signage and incredibly rude messages from the car park company, they eventually dropped the fine and threatened us with being fined again if we park there once more - unfortunately this all means I won't be going there again.

Stopped here for a Sunday brunch - the 'all you can eat buffet' was excellent. As and Brits returning to the UK from the US for the first time in years, it was fabulous to experience a "proper" British breakfast. Excellent value!

Fantastic venue to attend with the family. Staff are polite and helpful. Atmosphere and food is great. Would highly recommend.

Don't go here. We were fined £100 for using their onsite 'free' car park. There is a screen inside to put your vehicle details on but you still get a big fine a few weeks later. Disgusting

Love eating here on special occasions, very family friendly and always accommodating. Jodie is lovely very good with the little ones!! All staff are pleasant and helpful also!

Beautiful food and Jodi our server was great

Good atmosphere. Very nice food. Happy staff

Expected it to be very busy on Mothering Sunday but after reading the reviews below I can see why there were plenty of free tables. Stood at the bar to get served for at least 10 mins whilst others were being served around me, even when I said say twice I’m next. Finally got served, but the older lady was too concerned with chatty to other staff who were just standing around that sorting to our drinks. Food:- as my son said, the worst carvery he’s ever had & I agree. Bear minimum meat, his sausage was black. even the large which compared to others was NOT large. Food was on the verge of being cold. Gravy was basically brown water. Last time we came here we had a lovely meal so we were gutted to see it’s go down hill. Speaking to another customer who thought the same. Staff : greeted by a lovely man & waitress named Jodie , but the rest mainly stand around or when you speak to them they really cannot be bothered !

Really friendly staff, foot great had a carvery

Love going here for the carvery

Food was amazing and great value ..Will he visiting again ..the team was amazing very helpful

Barmaid was a star so funny. Service good and food lovely. Will be back.

Food was beautiful. Lots of options available.

Absolutely smashing. Staff always friendly, seated very quickly. Ordering at bar was straightforward. No problems at all

Diane the waitress was amazing from the first order to us leaving she was polite helpful and friendly sorted the meals out when i was informed the kids for £1 didn't include dessert but Diane went above and beyond to make sure each child had an ice cream so they was not left out she's a credit to the establishment will definitely be returning again

We have had amazing service during our visit today. Unfortunately we didn't catch the ladies name but she was so helpful from the moment we arrived to leaving. We made an accidently mistake when ordering food and this lady sorted it straight out for us. Even when my daughter accidentally dropped her ice cream she reassured her everything was okay and gave her a new tub to get more ice cream. This lady made the whole atmosphere in stone house even more enjoyable with her pleasant smile and great customer service. She's an asset to you all! (She had very short blonde hair, with a white flowery top)

Great staff and quality of the food.

Got banned for asking for brown roast potatoes. Kitchen staff responded with sarcasm and aggressive. "I will not have you telling me how to cook roast potatoes " was the response from the alleged 'chef' who then forcefully removed the greasy under cooked potatoes from the counter. Saying i should leave without my meal! He then followed me to the bar, whilst I was speaking to the assistant manager about the poor 'roasties'. Intimidating atmosphere. Bland food. Avoid these bullies.

Got banned for asking for brown roast potatoes. Kitchen staff responded with sarcasm and aggressive. "I will not have you telling me how to cook roast potatoes " was the response from the alleged 'chef' who then forcefully removed the greasy under cooked potatoes from the counter. Saying i should leave without my meal! He then followed me to the bar, whilst I was speaking to the assistant manager about the poor 'roasties'. Intimidating atmosphere. Bland food. Avoid these bullies.

A lovely roast dinner as always

Staff are really friendly and helpful..food was absolutely gorgeous..had the carvery..lots of choice,nice and hot..best I have had in ages

It was quiet when I visited during the day time. Service immediately, quiet corner. Spot on!

Visited yesterday. I always enjoy the carvery, which is definitely nicer than Toby was a little disappointed with the amount of meat. Gravy is lovely 😋

Had the carvery there today all three of us really enjoyed it 👍

It was brilliant and the atmosphere was unbelievable because it was quiet 😂

Excellent carvery meal. Good value, Good customer service.

The toilets were dirty, A poor guy was sat right in the stairway to get to them too. The food was ok. Tables dirty, bit of a shame. The lady that served me was exceptional though, middle aged lady blonde hair, smartly dressed. She was lovely.

Carvery is up there with the best and the pizzas are delicious. Always good offers on here. Caters for children and has a lovely ice cream section that kids can prepare theirselves. Looking forward to our next visit. Top marks from me🙂

Great food and customer service

We regularly come to the upper boat to have food. The service is always great and the food is delicious.

Come here for breakfast 2-3 times a week Well worth the money for unlimited

Good food great service fab friendly staff with plenty of patience

Had a carvery always delicious. I visit 2-3 times a month. Staff polite and friendly.

Friendly atmosphere and the breakfast was delicious!

Went in for all you can eat breakfast, was nice, staff friendly

Always lovely food and polite staff

Lovely potatoes! Best in the world!

This is our second visit here. We have had both the carvery and the breakfast. Both are excellent! Suzanne has the right personality for the hospitality industry as she is both friendly and helpful. We’ll be back!

What a brilliant experience, friendly helpful staff, food lovely, inside clean and welcoming. Will definitely drive past my local Stonehouse to come to this one!!

Had a very nice meal today with the family ordered at the bar Lisa was the lady who served us very helpful and friendly we ordered burgers which were delicious all enjoyed them Zoe was our waitress who was very friendly nothing was to much trouble for her .

Great service from Zoe, Lisa and Sav this evening. Chefs were so helpful, also! Would recommend.

Fab visit today. Lisa, Zoe and Sav were fab and friendly. Chefs were so smiley! Covering from the Hollybush in Cardiff! Great work.

Service from all members of staff was very good, everyone who we spoke to was polite, and helpful very pleased which im glad of as it was my daughter's 18th birthday and this is where she wanted to come, so overall very pleased.

Went for my wife's birthday on 27th Jan, got a parking ticket this morning for £100 unauthorised parking by Euro car parks. Euro car parks are saying it has to be paid regardless, I even had our disabled card in window. The upper boat Inn doesn't answer phone so looks like our meal cost double what it originally cost. Thankyou upper boat Inn. Will never use you again.

Lovely food help yourself to as much or as little as you like carvery is always a winner but they now also provide pizzas and burgers too. Staff are always friendly and polite

The carvery was ok if not a little basic but it was fresh.. The meat portion was somewhat sparse. The table was dirty and we had to clean it ourselves. Bar service very slow

After going 3 times, Upper Boat Inn is quickly becoming my favourite place to eat. I've gone as a group twice, and I just went on a date there with my partner to see if things hold up when it's a littler quieter. I'm happy to confirm that there are never really any issues here. Sometimes they'll be running low/out of stock on a few things, but otherwise everything is absolutely perfect. The food is fantastic, I'm a bit of a foodie and nowhere else has the quality and taste of the food been SO consistent. The service is very fast and friendly, the staff are always ready and happy to help you with anything you need. It's got a nice atmosphere, very family friendly and also great for quieter couples. The best part is, for all the great service and food, it's all so cheap! We got 3 starters and 2 mains, and that came up to about £25. Anywhere else with such quality would have been way over £50. We've both agreed that even if we move, Upper Boat Inn is always a place we'll go back to. It's 10/10 and I can't wait to return again and again.

This pub used to be fabulous, but a recent visit after a while was disappointing. Ordered carvery, was ok, not great. Meat was nice but veg looked like it had been sitting around for ages. Child's icecream was indescribable, possibly banana or some mixed thing. Looked like milkshake. Servers, carvery staff and bar staff were friendly and helpful, shame the food was not very tasty. Tables were sticky, it just felt grubby. To top it off I missed the 200 signs asking me to log my car details as I was running late for a celebration meal. So a nice 100 pound fine arrived today. I've appealed with proof of purchase so fingers crossed it will be wavered. Overall the experience wasnt very good, I was glad to leave, and unlikely to return.

Great value for money and lovely food had a carvery and there was plenty of selection of vegetables . Also lovely polite and pleasant staff

My Yorkshire was solid couldn’t get a fork through it, bad service very rude staff with bad language while we was eating, and the burger was wasnt even proper meat it was like it was tinned meat x

Myself and my family went there for a weekday carvery at 2.30, the meat on sale was not fit for a dog. I asked the lady did she have any more beef and she said I have to serve this first it’s enough for two people all of it is fatty. I then asked to speak to the manger who politely said get another joint of beef. Then the “chef” did go to get another joint of beef, but also came out with 4 members of staff all looking and talking about me, saying they’re not going to waste it. I asked was they ok and what were they looking at, which the manager coming over to calm down the situation. I explained I just paid more than £50 for food, I don’t expect every member of staff to come and look. The server said well we can still get two portions of meat out of this beef some people like the “scrappy parts”. I then asked for a refund and left. Would not recommend! Arrogant, rude and inexperienced staff; no wonder why there was 2 customers in there.

Made so welcome by cheerful staff.

Staff were helpful and the carvery was delish

Went for a breakfast as it opened I'm finding the choices limited now I'm.gluten free so the fried bread and toast was out the hash browns are coated so couldn't eat them plain fried potatoes would be good and mushrooms so that we have a choice the eggs weren't cooked for 20 mins after opening x

The old bar made behind the bar is not vfunny lol(she’s my mo 😂🫣)

Very polite staff, reasonably priced and delicious food.

Service was fast and friendly the young lad was helpful I think his name was Keith. The food was great too.

Always Lovely food, pleasant and friendly staff

Great food, and great service. Would recommend.

Suzanne was brilliant great customer service and the food was great

Brilliant place very generous with the meat x

Visited the pub and Ben who served was very accomodating. Excellent service and very pleasant.

Very friendly, professional service for food and drinks. We will be back !

Went there today carvery was vile all veg overcooked and mushy meat was awful gravy was like water the only thing edible was the roast potato my partner orderd a classic burger waited nearlly 45 minutes for it to come out the bottom part of the bun was all sloppy from all the sauce they put on and to be truthful it was inedible cold chips aswell and it didnt look very appetizing either fair to say we wont be going again

Went for a meal family. Had the carvery. Was very nice for the price. Albeit albeit was a little dry as are most carveries. Lovely dessert.. service okaish

The food was in parts absolutely abysmal. The carvery consisted of carrots, peas and sprouts that had been there all day and were boiled to within an inch of their life, the stuffing was solid and there wasn't much of anything else. The turkey was a carcass and the ham left was depleted to a strip thinner than Tesco wafer thin. The sausage was the best. Throw that and it would have knocked you out cold. Picture attached; it was literally rock solid. The ice cream came out like milkshake, picture attached. The array of 'various toppings' was false advertising; I've seen better ice cream toppings in the dog food isle. Absolutely rank.

The meat was carved so thin any thiner you wouldn't have had any and I ordered large carvery got same meat as ordinary carvery all the veg wasn't great ethier this needs looked at

Thank you very much for a lovely Christmas.

We went for breakfast with Santa on Christmas Eve. Lovely atmosphere there. The grinch made everyone’s day, he was so funny. The food was great, staff helpful and we will be there next year.